One Man's Tale

He points to a cluster of burqa-wearing women gathered outside a mosque: "Look at that. A few years ago those women would have raised eyebrows in Cairo. Now, nobody pays attention. The fundamentalists are taking over this country."

Horus's increasingly high profile as a gay activist in Egypt has begun to earn him invitations abroad even as he finds himself at growing risk at home. Next week, he is flying to the United States to attend a human rights conference, after which he plans to tour the country for the first time. He says he has often contemplated leaving Egypt for good. "I'm going through ups and downs," he says. "One day I feel the country isn't safe for people like me. Other days I think I should stay and fight." At a taxi stand on the edge of Cairo's old city, Horus bids me farewell. "I try to stay hopeful," he tells me, shaking my hand. "But it's a very dark time right now."

© 2002